De febribus; De morbis mulierum; De morbis puerorum

1749·Naples

by [MEDICAL MANUSCRIPT]. DOLCE, Francesco

Naples: n.p., 1749. Black pen on paper. Bound in contemporary calf-backed marbled boards. An important medical manuscript written in Latin in the early eighteenth century and dedicated to the prominent and noble Gasparrini family of Naples, containing the lectures of Francesco Dolce, a well-know physician and professor of medicine at the famous "Hospital of the Incurables."This manuscript has a unique didactic value with its descriptions of various types of fever (illnesses), including a thorough discussion of the definitions, symptoms, causes, prognosis, treatments and medical procedures to be used. Maladies of the head, the skin, the heart, and other common conditions are treated. This section concludes with a discussion of colds, and includes a number of fascinating remedies. Though quite wide-ranging, the distinct parts of this section are generally unified by interrelated themes such as uninterrupted fevers, catarrhal (malignant and benign), all caused from genetic inflammation, dental inflammation, contagious fever, congestive fever, and continued secondary and tertiary fever. Also included is a sonnet with a hymn of praise to health. Of significant interest is the second section, which treats womens' diseases. The author discusses the menstruation cycle, and the various potential problems that arise from irregularity, failure to menstruate, and excessive bleeding. He further deals with pregnancy and the myriad of issues that can be encountered during that time, difficulties of giving birth, childbed fever, sterilization, and issues related to removal of the placenta. There is also a section on abortion. The third part deals with the more common problems of infancy, including colic and teething. Also included here are sections on children that suffer from canker sores, epilepsy and rickets.This manuscript is a testimony of the Neapolitan medical school tradition. The lectures are in line with the philosophy of medicine during the eighteenth century, where the approach was to utilize observation and reasoning in practice. Dolce's use of descriptive symptomology was an expression of the "verismo scientifico," the scientific positivism, that was notable of the time. Built in the sixteenth century, Incurabili boasts a very long list of notable doctors connected with the innovation and experimentation for which the hospital was famous, including Domenico Cotungno, Tommasi and Cardarelli. Dolce (1724-1809), a professor of medicine at the University of Naples and member of the staff of the Incurabili, was cited as one of the seven most reknown physicians of Naples by Dr. Benedetto Vulpes in his commencement speech at University of Naples in 1836 (subsequently published under the title Per la solenne inaugurazione de' ritratti di sette illustri medici napoletani nella sala di clinica medica della Regia Universita degli Studi discorso letto il di 16 novembre 1835 nell'apertura dell'anno scolastico.). (Inventory #: 15554)

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